A Whole New Family
by pitaqueen
Summary: It's Ben's turn.. as an honory Camden.. he deserves his own story.. all camdens will be included...
1. Prep Work

Disclaimer: I don't own them slight crossover characters from third watch, this will kinda start with as a Ben and Mary story since I love Ben but other and all Camdens will be in it.... Don't forget to review.

Chapter 1 Prep Work

December 27th 2004

Ben shook his head in disbelief, another dump. Damn he had thought this girl was special, but I guess that's what you get for dating your brother and sister in laws baby doctor. He continued walking towards his car from the airport.

"Home sweet home." He muttered as he brushed off all the snow on his car before getting in and driving to the fire house. He walked upstairs and saw the guys hanging around the station completely bored.

"Hey is Doherty here? I have to let him know I'm back so he can put me back on schedule." Ben said as he grabbed some chips and sat down at the table with the guys.

"Yeah, he's here but I'd give him a few more minutes. Kim just went in their, and who knows what is going on in that office." Alex said as the guys laughed.

"Yeah she didn't look too happy when she went in their. She was really in a bad mood during our couple of runs. Play it safe and stay out here." Bobbi said as he started finishing up his report from earlier.

Carlos just snickered as the door to Jimmy's office opened and out stepped Kim and Jimmy smiling and slightly mussed. Everyone just looked at them quietly thinking about the impending disaster of those two getting together again.

"Hey Captain, umm. I'm back and I can get put on schedule as soon as you need me. Umm is their something you want to tell us?" Ben asked being very, very brave.

"Yeah, Kim and I are getting married; on New Year's Day, you're all welcome to attend. We are having the wedding and the reception right here at the firehouse. Then Ben will be left in charge, and we'll finalize all details later." Jimmy said as he gave Kim a quick kiss and the firehouse erupted in good cheers and smalls groans of here we go again.

Ben just smiled wished the couple good luck and headed home to his lonely apartment in New York City. He had moved there after September, Buffalo just held too many memories of Mary. Mary, now married to some guy and the mother to his kid, their kid. He shook his head he just couldn't believe it. Seeing her at Christmas with the Camden's had been so hard she looked good but she just didn't seem like herself. Oh well, not my problem any more.


	2. Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own them slight crossover characters from third watch, this will kinda start with as a Ben and Mary story since I love Ben but other and all Camdens will be in it.... Don't forget to review.

Chapter 2: Trouble

January 3, 2005

The wedding had been a success, and no calls had come in during or after the wedding. Ben sat in Jimmy's office finishing up the paper work from the last call of the day or so he thought when the alarm went off apartment building on fire.

Ben grabbed his stuff and slid down the pole as and hopped in the truck as it took off racing through the city streets. When they got to the location they saw it was a twelve story apartment building, Ben yelled for Lou to call for every available fire house, this was going to be bad. Ben got every body set up got his men started in on recovery while his second truck was working to put the fire out.

As more companies arrived the fire seemed to get worse; the twelfth floor collapsed. His men had luckily already cleared that floor, and were still working their way down. By the time his men had cleared the sixth floor the next two floors had fallen in. The fire was still going strong, and Ben was beginning to get worried. He made his man evacuate the building as the ninth floor collapsed the building was just not stable, and he wouldn't risk his men.

His men came out of the building looking worse for wear he immediately got them oxygen and looked at as the rest of the building crashed down. He just shook his head, when he heard a familiar voice screaming she had to get to her husband and child.

He turned away and saw Mary standing in a somewhat rumpled business suit trying to get past the cops. Ben walked over and got the police to let her through.

"Mary what are you doing here?" Ben asked.

"I have to get inside. Carlos and Charles are inside. He called me from the elevator said it was stuck he wanted me to call to the maintenance desk and get someone to fix it and let them out. I called but the lines weren't working, so I came down here. Ben, what's going on?" Mary asked.

"Mary, oh my God. Mary, I... I... don't know how to tell you this. Their was a fire and the building wasn't stable. It collapsed. They... they are looking for remains..." Ben said as gently as possible.

Mary looked at him with a stunned expression on her face. Then she began to hit him repeatedly on the chest screaming and crying incoherently. Ben held her as her legs gave out and just rocked her back in forth. A few minutes later he picked her up and went to see to his men. Mary clung to him, as he found out that Alex had gone to the hospital for smoke inhalation and that the rest of the crew was okay. He had them start shifting through embers to make sure the fire was really out, and to help the M.E.'s office if they needed anything.

Ben carried Mary over to his truck, set her inside and grabbed her cell phone. He flipped it open and went through her list of names looking for Matt's. He finally found it and dialed. The conversation with Matt had been hard, it had been hard to tell him his brother-in-law who had become a good friend to him and his nephew was dead. He asked Matt to come and get Mary. He told him Mary was not doing well, and that he would stay with her and till he got their.

After hanging up the phone and putting back in Mary's purse he picked her up and shut the truck door.

"Ben, why? Why would they die? Why them?" Mary asked over and over again.

Unfortunately, Ben had no answers to give her. He walked back to his crew and kept an eye on them periodically pulling them out to give them a break and rotating others in.


	3. Life After Death

Disclaimer: I don't own them slight crossover characters from third watch, this will kinda start with as a Ben and Mary story since I love Ben but other and all Camdens will be in it…. Don't forget to review, and much thanks to those who have….

a/n – I have only been to nyc once, I know a bad thing when u live not far away so I have taken some liberties with housing and how its set up sry if it offends anyone….

Chapter 3: Life After Death

January 10th, 2005

Ben once again sat on plane ride to New York City, only this time he wasn't alone. Matt, Sarah, and Mary were with him. It was a somber plane ride. Carlos had been buried four days ago in Puerto Rico in his family plot, where as Charles had been buried in Glen Oak, right near his namesake in California. Ben had been able to get time off since it was technically considered a "Death in the Family", and he got the required seven days off. He was a part of the Camden family in every way that mattered.

He stared out the window and couldn't believe such a tragic thing had just happened. He still had two days left on his leave since Jimmy hadn't gotten back to work till the fourth, and after filling him in he started his leave on the fifth. He just shook his head as he buckled his seat belt and prepared for the landing. He looked to his right and saw Mary staring straight a head as if she was still in shock. He leaned over and buckled her in, and she still stared straight ahead.

After the plane landed Ben said he would take Mary to his apartment because he only lived two blocks away, he had a spare and clean room, and he had two more days of leave so he could stay with her, and help her find a new place. Matt said okay with some reluctance as he and Ben double checked their numbers for each other. Once they made sure they had the right numbers Matt put Sarah in cab because she wasn't feeling so good, and told Ben he'd stay in touch.

Ben put Mary in cab, gave the driver his address, and off they went. The cab driver took the "short cut", unfortunately it went right past the fire sight. As Mary looked out the window it finally clicked to her. Her husband and child were gone, she slowly turned to Ben and he put his arm around her as she showed her first real signs of emotions after that fateful day. Mary was still crying as Ben paid the cabbie, he slid her out of the cab, gently picked her up grabbed his bag and her small one and entered his apartment building.

Mary obviously hadn't been eating she was definitely lighter then the last time Ben had carried her. Ben let him self into his apartment set the bags down, shut the door, and sat on his couch and held Mary as she cried.

A few hours later Mary had fallen asleep on Ben's chest and Ben grabbed the afghan his mom had bought for him; covered him self and Mary and he too fell asleep.

The End of this chapter….

Sry it was just dialogue but its setting me up for a great next chapter….


	4. Holidays are Here Once Again

Disclaimer: Ya'll know I don't own anything…

A/N: I am fast-forwarding a year… I don't want to waste a chapter trying to get where I want to be on details that don't really affect the story. Oh and_ Italics _are going to indicate thought when around others.

Chapter 4: Holidays are Here Once Again…

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving….

Mary is still living with Ben, since his roommate left for parts unknown. As Ben put it when asked about Mary living with him, his only comment was, "Hey the rent still has to get paid somehow. It was and odd but natural transition for Mary to gradually move in with Ben. Mary felt like she needed to be home more, you could say, she had what you might call survivor's guilt. Needless to say she got a job promotion to working at the ticket counter for the airline, with all the great benefits. The only true difference was she now had to put up with passengers who were a wee bit nastier.

Ben also got promoted to Chief of his current firehouse when Dougherty left to take a "desk job" – downtown. He was home a little less, but for him it was nice to come home to Mary after a long, long, shift. Now with all the extra paperwork and stress over his crew, he needed something to be happy to come home to.

Mary and Ben attempted to get together and have dinner with Matt and Sarah at least once or twice a week, or month depending on schedules. It helped everyone all around to deal with stress, and being so very far away from home.

"Ben! You have to be at the airport in two hours, don't forget! You need to bring my suitcase and the small one with small gifts for everyone. Thanks… sweetie….Love ya!" Mary's voice called out through the apartment via answering machine.

Ben stood in the bathroom silently laughing to him self. He had just gotten home less the twenty minutes ago thanks to traffic, paperwork, and a four alarm fire that none of his guys had gotten hurt at. He hadn't been home in two days. He finished drying off and got dressed. After packing he walked over and erased Mary's message, it was definitely going to be an interesting Thanksgiving to say the least.

As he grabbed the bags and locked the door, he headed out front to his cab. After loading it up he silently thought back about his earlier thought. An interesting holiday... more like a mad house. This would be the first holiday in family history that everyone and he meant everyone would be there:

Julie and Hank were housing the Colonel and Ruth, with George and his fiancé and in Erica and Jake and that was the first eight.

Now add in the fact that his sister, his mother and their significant others would be crashing at Kevin and Lucy's along with Ben and Mary. That brings the total up to seventeen with Savannah.

Then Matt was playing it safe with Sarah and staying at Rabbi and Mrs. Glass house, bringing the total up to twenty-one.

Add in the fact that Mary and he were flying in Peter and his parents to surprise Ruthie who had been kind of lost with out him, bringing the total up to twenty-five including Ruthie.

Simon was a whole other story; he was bringing home some girl that wasn't Georgia, because they weren't on speaking terms; now bringing the total up to twenty-seven.

Yet, if you add in Martin and his friend Kyle whose parents went away on business, the total gets taken up to twenty-nine.

Throw in Martin's dad and Roxanne who the Colonel, arranged for a special trip home the total get's taken up to thirty-one.

Now you can't leave Annie's small side of the family out and you have Ginger, her daughter, Annie's sister and her husband we now have thirty-five people.

Finally add in Eric, Annie, Sam, and David and you have a grand total of thirty-nine.

"Man, oh man. I don't know how "Mom" Annie does it. I would be going nuts." Ben thought as he pulled up to the airport and went inside to meet Mary, Sarah, and Matt.

A few minutes late Ben was sitting with Mary and Matt and Sarah were a few rows back. Mary grabbed his hand as the plane took off, giving him a misty smile. Holidays were still a major sore spot for her, understandably so. Ben gave her a hug once the unbuckle seat belt light lit. After the hug Mary pulled out some magazine, and Ben got lost in thought once more.

He began to think about his and Mary's "weird" relationship. _They were roommates who acted more like lovers with out the making love, both preferring to spend the night snuggled on the couch watching a movie then going out. Falling asleep with her in his arms was such a comfort and because they more often then not both ended up sleeping on the couch it made it hard to sleep with out the other. _

_Hadn't Mary made that comment last week about not sleeping at all unless she was snuggled in his arms? Was Mary developing feelings for him again? Wait! Do I still have feelings for her? Or were mine just kind of shoved off to the side when she chose… what's his name? Did he really still lov…? Wow! I'm so confused! I need to have a major talk with Kevin alone. We need to talk as soon as I land…._

"Ben, you okay? You have a pretty perplexed look on your face. You having a deep thought moment there?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, huh? Wait a minute? When did you switch places with Mary? I swear she was here a minute ago." Ben asked.

"Quite some time ago, actually. She finished through her magazine and you looked so in thought she didn't want to disturb you. So being the kind and loving big brother I am, I let her take my seat so she could talk with Sarah." Matt answered.

"So just as you convinced Sarah to join the mile high club, Mary came over and told you to get out she needed girl talk." Ben summed up.

"Pretty much! So what's the deal with you and my sister? Are you putting the moves on her again? Are you two even dating again?" Matt asked.

"All passengers would you please return to your assigned seats and buckle up. We will be landing shortly. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your flight!" A flight attendant's voice rang out.

"Ha, saved by the plane landing! Bye Matt! Time to go back to your own seat!" Ben said as he began to buckle his seat belt.

Matt just laughed and started making his way back to Sarah, as Mary came forward and settled in.

That's it for this chapter as you can see Thanksgiving is going to be a long, long chapter with all the surprise people and 3- different people I have to write in… so give me patience and we'll see if I can tackle this calmly and maintain my sanity… Please review…


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